Tottenham Hotspur has always been the subject of criticism and banter from many football fans due to their lack of trophies despite being one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. Despite winning the FA Cup eight times and the Europa League twice in the last century (along with some other trophies from various domestic and regional tournaments), the scarcity of silverware, especially in the EPL, has impacted the club’s image for years.
But can the team finally break the curse this year?
After a promising start last season that ended in a nightmare of a run, Spurs still finished in fifth place to secure a guaranteed spot in the 2024-2025 Europa League group phase. The team last won the competition in 1984 and has since failed to reach the finals again.
The Spurs are the heavy favourites to win the current edition of the Europa League, with 4.70 Singapore Pools football odds (as of writing). But the question remains: Can Tottenham overcome the pressure and finally add to their trophy list?
The Europa League Squad
The Lilywhites have had an eventful summer transfer window. They dealt multiple rotational players from previous years to different leagues while bringing in a top striker in Dominic Solanke and some project players in Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Wilson Odobert. They also extended the loan spell for Timo Werner while giving some academy players time to shine in the preseason, which is proving to be helpful in their current league campaign.
Due to existing UEFA regulations on locally trained players, Tottenham are forced to name only 23 players on their List A for the league phase, leaving out Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon.
- Goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario, Fraser Foster, Brandon Austin, Alfie Whiteman
- Defenders: Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, Micky Van de Ven
- Midfielders: Yves Bissouma, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Mate Sarr, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall
- Forwards: Son Heung-Min, Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner
However, they did add four more names to the squad through List B (youth players) ahead of their first Europa League fixture in late September, featuring Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear, Luca Gunter, and Tyrese Hall.
This is a decent squad that can win the Europa League on paper. It has all the tools for an explosive attack and impenetrable defence. Many experts believe that Spurs have the best overall squad in the competition from front to back, with Son and Maddison leading the charge up front and the team’s remarkable back four of Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, and Udogie marking the opponent’s forwards.
But no matter what squad the Spurs have in the EPL, Europa League, or Champions League, inconsistency and health problems have been constant issues for decades. Even one suspension or injury can negatively impact this current squad, especially in the later stages of the tournament.
How Did Tottenham Become the Favorite?
Presence of Youngsters
Depth can play a huge role in this type of competition, and the Spurs surely have enough of it to play consistently from the league stage to the knockout phase. Their younger players, especially, will be crucial in the team’s success this Europa League season.
Tottenham will have the services of Bergvall, Odobert, Moore, Lankshear, and Gray to fill up the starting XI in the earlier stages. Some of the team’s core players who have played since last year are also relatively young, including Porro (25), Udogie (21), Van de Ven (23), Sarr (22), and Johnson (23).
Strong and Experienced Squad
As stated, the Spurs probably have the strongest squad in the competition, enough to get them decisive wins throughout the tournament. Any combination of squads can overwhelm the opposing team on any given day, especially if the team is locked in executing Angeball.
The squad also has extensive international and regional experience. Romero won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, while Son and Davies were part of the Spurs squad that reached the Champions League final in 2019.
Lack of Prominent Team from Other Leagues
Another strong argument for why Tottenham might go all the way in this year’s Europa League is the lack of powerhouse teams from other leagues. There are still some notable teams, including Galatasaray, Roma, Ajax, Porto, and fellow EPL club Manchester United. But many still consider the Spurs squad the strongest on paper and on the field, with many expecting the team to cruise past the league phase.
Will the Change in Format and Scheduling Affect the Team’s Run?
Apart from inconsistency and injuries, two other things might affect Tottenham’s Europa League campaign: format change and schedule.
Starting this year, the Europa League has changed from a traditional group stage format to a league phase that adopts the Swiss system. This means every qualified team will be in a single table (but won’t play every single team), with the top eight teams moving on to the knockout phase.
For the Spurs, this means more games will be played in the initial stage, with them facing a good variety of teams from different leagues.
The schedule can also be an issue for Spurs, especially in December and January. While the Europa League matchdays have enough gap between them, the integration with the Premier League schedule can make it hard for the club.
For instance, the team’s December 6 to 16 stretch will see them play 3 EPL games and 1 Europa League game in 11 days. They also have a tough second half for the month of January, playing 5 games in two weeks. These stretches can cause fatigue to key players, which might result in negative performance for some key matches.
The Run So Far
Tottenham has handled business well in their first two Europa League games so far. They had a pretty comfortable 3-0 home win against Qarabag despite being down to 10 men because of an early red card to Dragusin. They also had a nail-biter 2-1 away win against Ferencváros, with Johnson sealing the deal in the 86th minute before Barnabas Varga scored a goal for the Hungarian team.
As of writing, Spurs just defeated Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, 1-0, to move up the table and remain unbeaten with 9 points, along with Lazio and Anderlecht.
The rest of their league phase opponents will be Galatasaray (November 8), Roma (November 29), Rangers (December 13), Hoffenheim (January 24), and IF Elfsborg (January 31).
Conclusion
Even with a single look at the current Europa League landscape, it’s pretty evident why Tottenham is the outright favourite to win it. And yes, they have the tools to win their third Europa League trophy. If the team’s coaching staff manage to ensure that the team is committed and stays injury-free throughout the competition, then they can be a solid pick for those engaged in soccer betting in Singapore.
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